The main goals of the testing are still constant: on the one hand, to ensure that our product is working and, on the other hand, to detect and correct any possible errors as fast as possible. With the improvement of technology, however, this task is increasingly challenging.

Over the past thirty years, there have been a number of changes: we are using smaller parts that have more and more components, operating at an increasing frequency and in which manufacturers are integrating more and more knowledge.

Testing the Design

According to a former research, 90% of PCBs contain at least one structural error after implantation.

COMMON PCB ISSUES:

CPU/FPGA reset

FPGA Configuration Problem

Memory troubles

Burnt vias

PCB Delamination

Burnt PCB

You can avoid these issues if you are testing your PCB before the manufacturing phase.

If you’ve ever been involved in RF design, high-speed design, low current design, or all of these areas combined, you know the importance of maintaining signal integrity in your PCB.

If you’re worried about signal integrity in your next PCB design, you need simulation and analysis tools that work within a unified design environment. The PDN Analyzer in Altium Designer can help you diagnose and correct your signal integrity issues and much more.

PDN Analyzer is a CST (Computer Simulation Technology) based Altium Designer extension application. It helps you visually understanding the power delivery.

KEY FEATURES:

Voltage drop simulation

Current density identification

Simultaneous multi-network simulation

Testing the Board

After manufacturing the PCB, the following testing options are available:

You can create different visual views from the PCB and automate the evaluation of these to detect each error. You can use a normal camera system (like AOI) or even X-ray to get the picture you want.

In addition, physical and electrical contact can be made with the PCB and its individual points, and we can examine the presence and operation of the components (whether analog or digital signals).

You can do Boundary Scan testing with a pencil, but you can also connect to the parts via the JTAG connector without using a needle pad. In standard Boundary Scan mode, you can verify assembly or program components, and emulate your memory, for example, or use built-in instruments integrated into the components.

And finally, it's a strategy that almost everyone is using: functional testing, whereby we test the functionality of a product by defining different boundary conditions.